The Kalabaz people claim that they were originally Rajputs who migrated to Uttar Pradesh during the Mughal Empire, which started in the 16th century. During this time, the Kalabaz people began to work as acrobats.

Where Are they Located?

Most of the Kalbaz people live in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. This state is India's most populated, and also the state with one of the lowest percentage of Christ followers. There are about one in 1,000 who follow Christ in this part of India.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Many of these 14,000 landless people still work as acrobats, though others either tend livestock or repair bicycles. Some are day laborers or they work for the military. They would like to save money for future needs, but their poverty prevents them from doing this. They don't have any folklore or traditional dances unique to them. It is common for Kalabaz women to get sterilized. Kalabaz women have low social status, and they are not allowed to participate in decision-making. However, if they are divorced, the husband must compensate her monetarily and he must also take responsibility for the welfare of the children.

What Are Their Beliefs?

This scheduled caste is 100 percent Hindu. Their family deities are Kali Mata, Bhairo Devta, and Bajrangbali. Like most Hindus, they depend on Brahmin priests to conduct their rites and rituals.

What Are Their Needs?

The Kalabaz people need someone to teach them marketable skills that will lead them out of poverty. Followers of Christ can help with these matters. Believers can also distribute Christian materials such as the JESUS Film and biblical materials in Hindi, north India's most widely spoken language.

* Pray for laborers to go to the Kalabaz people with the gospel of peace.
* Pray for the Kalabaz people to be open to Christ, the Light of the World.
* Pray for Christian materials to become widely available in Kalabaz communities.

Joshua Project data is drawn from many sources and of varying accuracy depending on source and editorial decisions. Populations are scaled to the current year. Other data may have varying ages. We welcome suggested updates.

A displayed zero can mean true zero, a very small rounded number or sometimes unknown. Blanks mean an unknown value.

The data is sometimes not as precise as it appears. Values for %Christian Adherent and %Evangelical (which determine unreached status) are often informed estimates, some more accurate than others. We recommend against using %Christian Adherent and %Evangelical for precise calculations.

Joshua Project may be able to provide more information than what is published on this site. Please contact us.

On-the-ground reality may vary from what is presented here. Before making travel plans based on data presented here, please confirm with other sources to the extent possible.